We have a couple of threads running here with the obligatory detractors of the Harley Davidson brand... they've run (as they typically do) several pages now... with some pretending to want to understand the fascination with Harley Davidsons--but veiling their actual intentions quite poorly, which are to mock what they don't understand.
I think it's worth pointing out that Harley Davidson owners rarely feel the need to question the metric bike owners for their decisions. Motorcycle choice is a personal thing and I don't think any man should have to spend the fruits of his labor on anything other than what he wants.
This all said, and proceeding on the assumption that there are a few lurkers here who really do wonder just what it is about a Harley Davidson motorcycle that evokes such cult-like loyalty, I will put some thoughts down...
I have owned by this point in my life at least a dozen Japanese motorcycles, and have never been disappointed with any of them. Most of them were for off-road use, but my last Honda was ridden both on the highway and off. It was a single cylinder 250 which would literally do 100 mph on the interstate.
But about 5 years ago, I bought my first Harley Davidson motorcycle--a used Low Rider. My first impression when I test rode it was "this is absolutely the most awkward and precarious motorcycle I have ever tried to ride." I took the bike down the road about a mile, then with both feet held ready to catch it if it tried to topple over, I turned it around and headed back toward the owner's home... I remember thinking "Do I really want something like this?" The bike had a loud set of pipes on it, and by this point I had mustered enough confidence to open up the throttle and hear those pipes a bit. I think that was the instant that the Harley V-twin began to move my soul. The rhythm of the engine, the beat of the pistons, the vibration of the machine... it just works its way into a man's spirit...
And it's not about speed. And even though Harley Davidson quality is top notch, it's not about quality. I think, if anything, it's about design.
Admittedly, Harley Davidson has turned out some goofy looking bikes here as of late. That Rocker with the tricycle like seat does nothing for me (but many really like it). But I think of all the motorcycle makers world-wide, Harley Davidson has been the only one able to make the motorcycle a work of art.
Don't believe it?
Look at all of the photography published... the posters... the ad-art where a motorcycle is called for. Ten to one, you'll find the Harley Davidson depicted over all other makes. You see, most people are not motorcycle aficionados--they just know what they like. They know what looks good...
And so do the metric bike makers. Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki, and certainly Yamaha have all very overtly copied the classic Harley Davidson design. This leaves the rider of the metric facsimile experiencing something tantamount to having a transvestite for a girlfriend. It looks like the real thing... but on closer inspection... zoinks!~~it ain't.
I think it's the knowledge mentioned in the preceding paragraph that gnaws at the metric fan... it's a truth he must somehow bury with rhetoric and lies... he rides and apparently enjoys a fake; a cross-dresser, if you will.
And you know... a transvestite can usually outrun the real thing. And a transvestite is stronger than the real thing... but there's that annoying tell-tale difference in the way "she" sounds... ...and then there's that misplaced contour here or there, bulging like an adam's apple...
To the discerning man, it's s dead give away...
Dan
I think it's worth pointing out that Harley Davidson owners rarely feel the need to question the metric bike owners for their decisions. Motorcycle choice is a personal thing and I don't think any man should have to spend the fruits of his labor on anything other than what he wants.
This all said, and proceeding on the assumption that there are a few lurkers here who really do wonder just what it is about a Harley Davidson motorcycle that evokes such cult-like loyalty, I will put some thoughts down...
I have owned by this point in my life at least a dozen Japanese motorcycles, and have never been disappointed with any of them. Most of them were for off-road use, but my last Honda was ridden both on the highway and off. It was a single cylinder 250 which would literally do 100 mph on the interstate.
But about 5 years ago, I bought my first Harley Davidson motorcycle--a used Low Rider. My first impression when I test rode it was "this is absolutely the most awkward and precarious motorcycle I have ever tried to ride." I took the bike down the road about a mile, then with both feet held ready to catch it if it tried to topple over, I turned it around and headed back toward the owner's home... I remember thinking "Do I really want something like this?" The bike had a loud set of pipes on it, and by this point I had mustered enough confidence to open up the throttle and hear those pipes a bit. I think that was the instant that the Harley V-twin began to move my soul. The rhythm of the engine, the beat of the pistons, the vibration of the machine... it just works its way into a man's spirit...
And it's not about speed. And even though Harley Davidson quality is top notch, it's not about quality. I think, if anything, it's about design.
Admittedly, Harley Davidson has turned out some goofy looking bikes here as of late. That Rocker with the tricycle like seat does nothing for me (but many really like it). But I think of all the motorcycle makers world-wide, Harley Davidson has been the only one able to make the motorcycle a work of art.
Don't believe it?
Look at all of the photography published... the posters... the ad-art where a motorcycle is called for. Ten to one, you'll find the Harley Davidson depicted over all other makes. You see, most people are not motorcycle aficionados--they just know what they like. They know what looks good...
And so do the metric bike makers. Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki, and certainly Yamaha have all very overtly copied the classic Harley Davidson design. This leaves the rider of the metric facsimile experiencing something tantamount to having a transvestite for a girlfriend. It looks like the real thing... but on closer inspection... zoinks!~~it ain't.
I think it's the knowledge mentioned in the preceding paragraph that gnaws at the metric fan... it's a truth he must somehow bury with rhetoric and lies... he rides and apparently enjoys a fake; a cross-dresser, if you will.
And you know... a transvestite can usually outrun the real thing. And a transvestite is stronger than the real thing... but there's that annoying tell-tale difference in the way "she" sounds... ...and then there's that misplaced contour here or there, bulging like an adam's apple...
To the discerning man, it's s dead give away...
Dan